CHAPTER 4: The Launching of the Dutch Master

Ten motley faces crowded forward and tried to peer through the doorway at the same time, for now that the initial caution was past, each one wanted to be the first to see the treasure – if indeed there was treasure inside. However, they were disappointed; the graving dock was empty save for the hulking shape of a cruise ship that had been moored within. Pruneface brought out a pocket flashlight and shone it on the prow of the ship, revealing its name: the Dutch Master.

"Gee, wouldn't it be swell to go on a treasure hunt in this thing!" Oodles said wistfully.

"A multi-millionaire's yacht, from the looks of it," Stooge concurred. "Seems almost a crime not to hijack it." He nodded at his accomplice, who mumbled a few words of agreement.

"Hey, look!" Itchy pointed at the anchor, which was resting on the edge of the dock. "There's something attached to the anchor." Indeed, there was a rolled-up scroll tied to it, which Itchy removed and held in one hand as he silently read it, scratching his neck with his other hand.

"Stop that confounded scratching and tell us what it says!" Pruneface demanded, as his patience was growing as wrinkled as his skin.

Itchy shifted the scratching from his neck to his elbow, but he did not stop doing it. "It says: 'Congratulations, you've made it this far without chickening out. Now that you've got the completed map, use it and this ship to find the treasure. Don't worry, it's my ship, so it won't be reported as stolen, and it practically steers itself. All you have to do is enter the coordinates included on the back of the map into the ship's navigational computer, and it will take you to where the treasure is buried. You'll have to provide your own tools and supplies, so make sure you load the ship with plenty of food, water, shovels, etc. before you launch. Good luck and happy treasure hunting!' Signed, Captain Cannonsmoke."

For a moment, the ten criminals just looked at each other, not certain what to make of this.

"Something's fishy here," murmured the Brow. "Who the blazes is this Captain Cannonsmoke? And why does he want us to find his treasure? What's he got to gain from all this?"

Flattop shrugged. "Who cares? Maybe he's some eccentric billionaire who does this sort of thing for kicks. Maybe he's just a rich lunatic. I say we take advantage of him. Even if the treasure doesn't exist, the ship alone is worth a fortune – we could always sell it to some sucker in another port before he realizes that we've stolen it. And I don't know about the rest of you, but this ship looks like a perfect hideaway; if Dick Tracy comes back from wherever he is, he'll never find us out on the open sea!"

This sounded like a plan to the other nine ruffians, and right away they began to determine who would bring what to the ship. After much debating, it was finally decided that the Mole and Sketch Paree would get the shovels and picks ("I don't need a shovel," the Mole boasted, "but I guess the rest of you do."); Stooge and Mumbles would bring explosives, in case the ground turned out to be too hard for digging; the Brow and Oodles were in charge of the groceries; Pruneface and Itchy would provide drinking water and other necessities, while Flattop and B-B Eyes intended to be the ones who brought along the party supplies.

One thing was for certain, those villains planned on having a good time during their treasure hunt, regardless of whether they actually found a treasure or not...

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The crescent moon continued to grin knowingly down at the city as the gangsters separated to perform their various "duties" in preparation for their trip by sea. Sketch Paree and the Mole broke into a closed hardware store and stole over a dozen digging tools and implements – far more than they would need, but they decided to make it a worthwhile snatch, since the surplus could always be sold for cash on the black market.

Stooge Viller and Mumbles raided the supply shack of a local construction company, making off with a keg of gunpowder and several sticks of dynamite. Although there was a night watchman present, he had been sleepy and inattentive when Stooge snuck up behind him with a pipe wrench raised over his head. By the time the two rascals left with their stolen goods, the unfortunate watchman was sleeping quite soundly, and would wake up the next morning with a lump on his noggin the size of a goose-egg.

Little Toni's 24-hour delicatessen was the target of the Brow and Oodles. They parked their unmarked van outside the deli, went in and tied up the poor proprietor at gunpoint, then proceeded to load almost the entire store's stock into their van. Loaves of bread and piles of lunch meat and cheeses of every description were taken, along with just about everything else that was edible and wasn't nailed down. The Brow finally had to tell Oodles to knock it off and leave what little was left; they already had enough food to feed a small army for a week.

Not surprisingly, Flattop and B-B Eyes held up a liquor store in their search for party supplies. They too had a van (a stolen one, naturally) which they used to haul away their ill-gotten gains – six-packs of beer, bottles of Scotch and bourbon, boxes of cigars and cigarettes, and so forth. Flattop also grabbed several packaged decks of playing cards that were stacked next to the cash register (which they emptied, of course).

In similar fashion, Pruneface and Itchy visited a "Thrifty Drugs" store and obtained the bottled water and sundry goods that the ten of them would need during their voyage (yes, even a villain has to shave and brush his teeth). As they were making their getaway, Itchy couldn't resist the opportunity to crack wise: "That place ought to change its name to the 'Shifty Thugs' store!"

The local police were in fits; no sooner did they arrive too late at the scene of one crime when a call would come in about another crime being committed at the opposite end of town. The villains had timed their various heists well.

And Dick Tracy was not around to halt this wave of criminal activity.

Finally, in the last hour of darkness before the dawn, a bottle of champagne was smashed across the prow of the Dutch Master as she glided out of the Pier 23 graving dock like a thief in the night.

Next Chapter: Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of beer, it's party time on the high seas with this gang of urban pirates! But there's also the first sign of troubled waters ahead...